Short and Sweet
by Ms. Videl Son
Summary: A collection of drabbles inspired by MonkandMiko's weekly challenges. MirKag.
1. Understood

**Title:** Understood  
**Disclaimer:** If I owned InuYasha, the pairings would be far more satisfactory.  
**Rating:** G ( K )  
**Challenge: **MnM challenge. Drabble: feeling.  
**Words:** 500 exactly.

* * *

"I had a feeling..."

Kagome jumped, tearing her attention from the depths of the Bone-Eaters Well as she spun full circle on her heels.

"...that you might be here."

"M-Miroku!" the time traveling school girl pressed a hand to her fluttering heart. "You startled me!"

Miroku smiled, soft and omnipotent. "I apologize. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"I-it's alright...," she waved her hand around, dispelling his apology like magic. Kagome was forcing her smile so hard that it was painful. "I wasn't expecting it, is all."

"Are you...," the monk was watching her with reserved caution, casting an ominous shadow in the moonlight, and crossing the clearing with quiet feet. His staff jingled in tempo with his slow footsteps. "...well?"

"Yes, fine," Kagome stretched her smile as far as it would go. She almost hoped that he wouldn't be fooled by it. "It's not like it was a big deal, or anything. He didn't mean anything by it."

"Indeed."

"Really, it's nothing. I'm fine."

"So 'fine' that you consider returning to your world in the middle of the night?" Miroku forked a skeptical eyebrow. "Without telling anyone?"

Kagome scuffed the toe of one of her loafers against the ground and leaned heavily on the well. "I...have a test tomorrow. I can't miss it."

"Indeed."

Kagome raised her eyes to glare. "What? I do have a test! It's not like I can just ignore my problems at home because I've got to put the jewel back together!"

Miroku held up a placating hand, sighing, "I agree, Kagome-sama. Your responsibilities in your own time are important."

"Thank you. At least someone agrees."

"However," he reached out to her with his already hovering hand and clasped her shoulder. The beads in his palm dug into her flesh when he squeezed. "Abandoning your problems here for invented problems there won't solve anything."

Kagome sighed, slumping her shoulders forward. Miroku's hand remained fixated on her. "Was it that obvious?"

"Mostly, yes." Miroku flickered a smile at her.

"I guess this means that I need to go back now, huh?"

Miroku's gentle expression of cheer extended across his face. "I don't think that's necessary. He'll still be throwing his childish tantrum tomorrow, after all, and the hut is a little warm tonight," he said, withdrawing his hand from her shoulder.

Kagome reached up to snatch it back. He blinked at her, obviously startled, and she blushed. "Um...I don't want to enjoy the fresh air all by myself."

After a moment, Miroku's expression relaxed to it's usual mellow consistency. "I suppose it does beg to be shared. And don't worry about him, Kagome-sama."

"Hm?" Kagome paused in lowering herself to the ground beside the well, both eyebrows raised.

"Shippou is still young. He will still need you for many years to come, no matter how independent he chooses to pretend he is."

Kagome's face glowed with her smile as he settled down beside her. She grabbed his hand again, tangling their fingers together. "Thanks, Miroku."

--- --- ---

**Authors Notes:** Gotcha. I'll bet you thought she was mad at InuYasha again. C'mon, I wouldn't do something _that_ cliche...I think.

I didn't bother to have this beta'd because the drabble challenges on MnM are just for fun. Thus, I apologize for any sub-par grammar that you might notice.

Btw, this story is simply a collection of the drabbles that I'm writing for MnM. You've probably seen the first two before as individual stories so I'm sorry if they aren't new. I figure this is an easier way for me to remember to upload in the future.

Should be updated weekly (assuming I participate every week in the drabbles, of course).

**_. ( . Ms. Videl Son . ) ._**


	2. An Innocent Misunderstanding

**Title:** An Innocent Misunderstanding  
**Disclaimer:** If I owned InuYasha, the parings would be far more satisfactory.  
**Rating: **PG ( K+ ) – for lascivious behavior, a lot of self-preserving BS, and just a touch of violence. (maybe it should be PG-13...? ; )  
**Challenge: **Feeling  
**Words:** 492

* * *

"N-now Sango-sama," Miroku backed away in wary retreat, holding both palms up in a placating appeal to her mercy. "Let's not overreact to an innocent misunderstanding."

Sango hoisted her boomerang higher in preparation to strike. A vein throbbed in her furrowed brow. "An 'innocent misunderstanding'?"

"Ooh, bad move, Miroku," Kagome called, playing spectator to the dangerously escalating situation from the safety of the groups shared campsite. She was boiling water for her own instant meal while InuYasha and Shippou inhaled their portions, dividing her attention between stoking the fire and watching Miroku pour gasoline over his.

"Thank you for your concern, Kagome-sama," Miroku glanced at her over his shoulder, sweat trickling down his face, drawing closer to the safety of the only party of innocent bystanders in over fifty miles. He returned his focus to Sango who was ablaze in her own fury. "Really, Sango-sama, there's no need for violence. I was...merely paying you my compliments."

"Oh?" her grip on the leather strap of her weapon tightened. "Then I'll have to thank you properly!"

Miroku had no time to move out of her warpath before the Hiraikotsu was released and he caught the enormous boomerang bone square in the chest. The force drove him backwards, stumbling over his own feet, and downward to the forest floor.

"Ungh!"

"_Eek_!"

'_Nn...the landing was softer than I thought it would be_,' the thought skittered across Miroku's oxygen-deprived brain as he fought to collect his breath from the impact. His hands – which had automatically extended to break his fall – squeezed two plush mounds of what he assumed to be some sort of soft moss. The mounds certainly smelled fresh and earthy, Miroku decided, burying his nose deep in between them.

"Ee! Miroku! Let go, you perv!"

_Thwack_.

At the squeal of horror and light smack to the back of his head, Miroku lifted his face from its pillowed safe haven. Kagome's gaze was lowered to meet his, eyes wide and affronted, face taut and flushed. Her chest swelled in his peripheral vision, pressed into his cheeks by his hands.

"Ah, Kagome-sama, I apologize," he couldn't resist giving her breasts another small squeeze. Another chance might never come along. "And please accept my thanks for breaking my fall. It was most...generous of you."

"Houshi..."

The monks attention was redirected yet again. This time to the business end of a transformed Tetsuseiga.

InuYasha was at the other end, barely holding the sword steady in hands trembling with fury. Sango stood behind him, Hiraikotsu at the ready, and shook with a similar rage.

Miroku gulped, but clung tightly to Kagome as the sharpened tip pressed into his throat. "You just gotta cop a feel, don't you?"

--- --- ---

I actually wrote this a couple days ago, but I wanted to see if I couldn't do something to fix it. In the end, I decided that this was just for fun (and practice) so it really didn't matter too much. Let me know what you think, though; commentary is much appreciated.

_**. ( . Ms. Videl Son . ) .**_


	3. The Matter at Hand

**Title: **The Matter at Hand  
**Disclaimer:** If I owned InuYasha, the pairings would be far more satisfactory.  
**Rating:** G ( K )  
**Challenge: **Introduction  
**Words:** 262

* * *

"I don't suppose that InuYasha will consent to speaking in the near future," Miroku chuckled, casting a meaningful glance to Kagome out of the corner of his eye.

The time-traveling miko sighed, tearing her eyes away from the back of the stonily silent InuYasha's haori. "Probably not," she agreed. "Not when he's dead set on pouting like this. It hasn't been this bad since Kikyou..."

The self-satisfied smile on Miroku's face withered as Kagome trailed off the end of her sentence, awkwardly dropping her attention to her toes. She rubbed at one of her eyes, muttering something along the lines of "allergies," and said nothing more.

The hanyou up ahead stormed on as if nothing was amiss behind him.

It was up to Miroku, then, to ease the tension. It was his duty as a monk, after all, to ensure the well-being and all around happiness of those around him. "It is probably for the best that InuYasha remove himself from our conversation. He would simply be in the way of discussing the matter at hand."

Kagome blinked and looked up. "'Matter at hand'?"

"Why, yes, dearest Kagome-sama!" the monk plastered on his best smile, just for her. "The name of our first born is an important issue. If we don't bestow upon him the perfect name, then his first impression upon introduction will be – "

THWACK!

InuYasha clutched at the hilt of Tetsuseiga as he raged at his felled companion, unconcerned with the potential damage his fisted blow may have caused. "Houshi! What did I tell you about that kind of stuff, eh?"

**_. ( . Ms. Videl Son . ) ._**


	4. Burning Desire

**Title:** Burning Desire  
**Disclaimer:** If I owned InuYasha, the pairings would be far more satisfactory.  
**Rating: **PG ( K+ ) – I don't know why, it just doesn't feel G...maybe b/c she ends up on top of him?  
**Challenge:** Introduction  
**Words: **500 exactly

* * *

Miroku hissed and jerked away. "Kagome-sama, are you certain that this...this potion of yours is appropriate for treating my injuries? Surely you have a far...gentler salve in your supplies."

"Guys are such babies," the time-jumping miko snorted, dabbing more rubbing alcohol onto her cotton ball. "It doesn't hurt that much. C'mere."

"I'm quite healed now, thank you," Miroku declined, backing away with one hand held over the scratch on his cheek and the other before him in surrender.

"Oh, come on! Don't be such a wimp," Kagome scolded, launching herself at him with the bottle of antiseptic clutched tightly in her fist.

Miroku dived out of the way. "I'm not entirely certain what this 'wimp' title implies, but, I assure you, the accusation is unfounded. The simple fact that I wish my healing process to involve the least pain possible does not – _augh_!"

Foiled!

With a quick move inspired by InuYasha, Kagome pinned Miroku flat on the dusty floor of Kaede's hut, knees firmly straddling his arms to his sides. The futuristic miko was triumphant as she soaked a new swab and began dabbing at Miroku's cheek again. "See? That's not so bad, is it?"

The monk attempted to wrench himself away from her clutches, but there were no alternatives to his situation without throwing Kagome clear across the room. Something that Kagome was well aware and, in fact, taking advantage of with a cheerful smirk.

"Ahh! Kagome-sama, please!" Miroku whimpered, face scrunched up in a flinch. "It burns!"

"Serves you right," Kagome sniffed, holding him firmly by the jaw to prevent further movement. "This is the punishment you get for groping women. Think of it as karma, or something."

"I merely wished to introduce myself to – ow, _oww_!"

"There, all done."

Miroku jutted out his lower lip in a pout. "So your torture is finished, then?"

Kagome glowered back. "I expect InuYasha to act like a baby, but I thought you might be more mature about this. After all, it's for your own good."

"You are aware, of course, that this potion of yours hurts as much as you claim it helps?"

With a dramatic huff, Kagome threw up her hands. "Fine! Next time, die of an infected scratch. See if I care!"

"Your healing skills are only outweighed by your generous sympathy," Miroku bit dryly. "Ah, it still burns..."

With a roll of her eyes and a sigh, Kagome bent down and cupped Miroku's jaw in her hands, tilting his face to the side. "Wuss," she hissed, puckering her lips and gently blowing cooling air across the monk's inflamed skin.

After three slow, soothing breaths, Kagome stopped. Her hands still held his face in her desired position and she didn't bother to sit up, leaving her hovering over Miroku's chest. "Is that better, Mr. Whiney?"

Miroku shifted to face her, brushing their noses together. He opened his mouth to speak and his words brushed over Kagome's lips almost as if they were her own. "Mm. Quite."

— — —

**Authors Notes:** It doesn't feel QUITE finished to me, but...eh. Drabbles are meant to be short and left to the imagination, anyway. It's actually kinda nice that it stops abruptly and makes you imagine the obvious yourself.

I'm getting closer and closer to my original idea here, but this isn't QUITE it...I'm going to do my best to write that tonight, but I hope I won't get sidetracked. If I do, then I might just extend this drabble for a day just so I can...We'll see.

Let me know what you think. I like this one best of all my MirKag drabbles, myself.

**_. ( . Ms. Videl Son . ) ._**


	5. First Impressions

**Title: **First Impressions  
**Disclaimer:** If I owned InuYasha, the pairings would be far more satisfactory.  
**Rating:** PG ( K+ ) – for a little tongue.  
**Challenge:** Introduction  
**Words:** 386

* * *

"Then how do you suggest that I introduce myself to young ladies, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked, inching closer to his tutor with a hand outstretched.

Kagome intercepted the hand hovering above her thigh with her own and clenched tightly. A vein was throbbing in her temple. "Well, in my time, we shake hands to greet each other."

"Oh?" a grin alighted the monk's charming face. With the expression of a child reaching out for a most desired sweet, Miroku's hand rose to cup –

SMACK!

"_Hands_, Miroku!" Kagome scolded, withdrawing her own from his face. She left behind an angry red mark. "We shake _hands_!"

Miroku forked an eyebrow at her as he rubbed his newly tender cheek. "Shake...hands? Like this?" he waved his free appendage at her, leaving his wrist loose to allow it to wobble freely.

"No," Kagome sighed, releasing Miroku's hand in order to grip it properly. She switched from her left to her right and slipped it into the monk's matching hand, overlapping his thumb with hers. They fit together perfectly. "Like this. Now, squeeze firmly and bring your hand up and down."

Miroku stared curiously at their conjoined hands, but Kagome couldn't decipher his thoughts. '_He's probably going to propose again_,' she thought, snorting.

At the soft sound, Miroku looked up at her face again. Kagome fought to pretend that she hadn't made even the slightest sound out of the ordinary. "What?" she asked, heat rising in her cheeks.

"Nothing," Miroku flashed a devilish smile and tugged on her captured hand, pulling her forward into his lap. With a swift move, he overwhelmed her lips with his own, not allowing her the chance to fight him off.

The thought to push him off and bestow upon him divine punishment didn't occur to Kagome as it should (and usually did) have. His tongue lapped across her lips in an almost hypnotic rhythm, lulling her into a pliable, accepting state. As if charmed by the swaying tongue, her mouth fell open and allowed it to delve inside and work its magic there.

With great reluctance, Kagome allowed Miroku's mouth to depart from hers, though she moaned her disappointment when he did so. Said mouth bent in a smirk. "I think you're right, Kagome-sama. This is a far more effective way to make an impression."

**_. ( . Ms. Videl Son . ) ._**


	6. Kiss of Life

**Title: **Kiss of Life  
**Disclaimer: **If I owned InuYasha, the pairings would be far more satisfactory.  
**Rating:** PG ( K+ ) – for enough angst to give you mild heartburn.  
**Challenge: **Unsaid  
**Words:** 500 exactly

* * *

"Say something, Kagome-chan!" Sango cried, shaking the unresponsive miko by the shoulders. After another long moment of silence, the Taijia began to shake harder. "Kagome-chan!"

"Is she breathing?" Miroku asked, kneeling down to press his ear to Kagome's chest. Surprisingly, InuYasha didn't intervene to stop him; Sango even moved out of his way.

Kagome was spread out along the riverbank, her hair spread in a sticky web around her face and shoulders, soaked in the water that may have killed her.

Tha-_thump_...tha-_thump_.

"Her heart is beating," the monk announced, partly in awe of the sound of his companion's life beating in his ear.

"She's alive!" Shippou squealed, clinging to Sango's neck. The Taijia was silent in her joy; the tears streaming from her cheeks testimony enough.

InuYasha scuffed at the ground awkwardly with his toes. "So...when will she wake up? I...we need to keep hunting for shards."

It seemed that none but Shippou could express themselves freely.

"I don't know," the monk admitted honestly. "It may not be for a long while."

"Kagome-chan mentioned something once," Sango offered. "If someone drowns in her time, then they are given something called 'mouth-to-mouth re-sus-shu-tay-shon.'"

Shippou bounced happily on her shoulder. "Yeah! She told me something like that, too. That's how the prince woke up Sleeping Beauty. I think that means that her 'knight-in-shining-armor' has to do it."

All conscious parties looked, in unison, to InuYasha.

The hanyou's ears flattened to his skull and his face flushed brightly. "Keh!" he snorted, brushing off the responsibility with a shy glance in the opposite direction.

"Very well," Miroku frowned in annoyance, lifting his face away from Kagome's bosom.

With gentle, trembling hands he cupped the miko's face and barely managed to hold it steady, feeling unusually awkward in his task. He licked his own lips and bent down at a slow, reverent pace...

"Get it over with, Houshi!" InuYasha snarled. His back was turned on them all.

Paused millimeters from her mouth, Miroku could feel Kagome's soft breath on his face. The startled flutter of his heart evened out to the same easy tempo and, with a sublime feeling swelling in his chest, Miroku brought their lips together finally.

Under the gentle massage of his veteran kiss, Miroku could feel Kagome beginning to stir. A mere twitch of the muscles at first, then meek participation, and finally a hungry whimper deep in her throat. Miroku swallowed it, scooping it up with his tongue, and hoped that no one else had heard; they would tear him away at the slightest signal of Kagome's consciousness.

Eventually, however, he was forced to pull back for fear of smothering her. His own breath burned in his lungs from the strain, but he didn't mind. "Kagome-sama?"

Kagome blinked in the noon sunlight, dazed. "Inu...Miroku-sama?"

The monk forced his deflated and wounded heart back down his throat with a hearty gulp and a false smile. "Kagome-sama...how are you feeling?"

Kagome's grin was genuine. "Really good, actually."

— — —

**Authors Notes:** I don't normally do angst since I'm so bad at it, but here you go. Thus, this isn't my best work ever, but it's something. And I did try, really I did! Angst just isn't my element...sigh.

I actually thought of this one out on the lake last weekend. I mean, water drowning, drowning mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation kissing (sorta). I figured that "mouth-to-mouth" would be a vague term considering the time period, so I figured it really would be more like kissing.

Anyway...I would've worked on this yesterday or the day before (what with having nothing particularly constructive to do), but I've been battling pharyngitis (according to the doctor I saw this morning) so I haven't really been feeling up to speed. I'm on antibiotic's now, though, (thank GOD this is a bacterial infection) so I got to finish it up before the deadline tomorrow. Whee!

**_. ( . Ms. Videl Son . ) ._**


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